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Spangled cotinga

Onglets

Description

Distinguishing features

The spangled cotinga has a wide, black beak, slightly hooked at the end. The wings are black with two pale bands, and have rounded tips. The head and back are turquoise-blue with black markings. The eyes are black. The belly and breast are also turquoise-blue. The tail is black. The legs are short. This species does not sing: in flight it makes a loud whistle produced by vibrating specialized wing feathers.

Reproduction

Egg-laying occurs in spring and the eggs hatch from June to August.

Diet

The spangled cotinga is a fruit eater. It moves through the canopy searching for small fruits. It feeds by hovering in the foliage and tearing off the fruit. They often can be observed feeding in fruit trees with other cotinga species.

Predators

The predators of the cotinga include birds of prey such as falcons, sparrowhawks and buzzards. In the nest, eggs and juvenile birds can fall victim to small, opportunistic predators such as lizards, squirrels and tropical racoons.

Habitat

The cotinga lives in the Amazon, in the wet tropical forests of Colombia east of the Andes, in northern Guyana, northern Venezuela, eastern Ecuador and Peru, and in northern Bolivia and Brazil. Its habitat is threatened by expanding human activity. The spangled cotinga is not rare but because it is not very mobile, it is difficult to observe in nature.

Ecology, behaviour

The spangled cotinga often perches at the top of the same tree, silently observing its surroundings for long periods. Because it is a fruit eater, it helps disseminate seeds and thus encourages forest re-growth. Due to its splendid coloration, fishermen use its feathers for making flies.

French name

Cotinga de Cayenne

Scientific name

Cotinga cayana

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Birds

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Cotingidae

Size

About 15 cm long

Status

Least concern (IUCN). Not an endangered species but its habitat is threatened by expanding human activity.

At the Biodôme

In North America, there are only 36 spangled cotinga in ten zoos. At the Biodôme we have only one male left and he can be found everywhere in the forest. We are the only Canadian zoo where this bird has bred in captivity. The young of these strictly fruit-eating birds grow much more slowly than insect-eaters because of the lack of protein in their diet.